Harry is going a different route than his older brother, and will exchange rings with bride Meghan Markle at the royal wedding on Saturday.
For his wedding to Meghan Markle, Prince Harry is opting to do things a little differently than when his older brother, Prince William, tied the knot in 2011 -- in particular, during the portion of the service devoted to the exchanging of rings.
On Friday, Kensington Palace released the official Order of Service for the royal wedding, giving the public some insight into the details of the ceremony. One thing the program revealed was that both the bride and groom would be giving and receiving rings.
The Order of Service details the "Giving of the Rings" at great length, including both what is to be said by the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, who is solemnizing the service, and what Meghan and Harry are to do, in steps.
"Heavenly Father, by your blessing let these rings be to Harry and Meghan a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, to remind them of the vow and covenant which they have made this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen," Archbishop Welby will read.
The Order of Service explains, "The Bridegroom places the ring on the fourth finger of the Bride’s left hand and, holding it there, says, 'Meghan, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.'"
"They loose hands and the Bride places a ring on the fourth finger of the Bridegroom’s left hand," the program continues. "Holding it there, [she] says, 'Harry, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.'"
It was announced on Saturday that Harry and Meghan have chosen Cleave and Company to make their wedding rings. Meghan's ring has been fashioned from a piece of Welsh gold, gifted by the queen, while Harry's ring will be a platinum band with a textured finish. Both rings were crafted in the Cleave workshop.
The rings will be carried to St George's Chapel on the day of the wedding by William, as part of his duties as the Best Man.
While an exchanging of rings is customary at many weddings, Harry's brother, Prince William, opted only to give a ring to his bride, Kate Middleton, and has never worn a wedding ring during their marriage.
Now the question is whether or not Harry will continue to wear his wedding ring in his day-to-day life. ET's resident royal family expert Katie Nicholl spoke with ET earlier this month, where she explained why she believes there's a good chance he may.
"Certainly, there will be an exchange of rings in the ceremony," said Nicholl -- author of Harry: Life, Loss, and Love, about the soon-to-be groom -- at the time, before the details of the service were officially announced. "[Harry] has proven himself to be a very modern man in so many ways that possibly he might decide to break Royal tradition and actually wear the ring for longer than just his wedding day. We shall see."
While there is no specific royal protocol regarding whether or not male members of the monarchy should wear their wedding bands, it has been quietly established tradition to forgo them.
Prince Philip has not worn one since marrying Queen Elizabeth in 1947, and while Prince Charles has worn a simple, gold wedding band following his marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, he wears it on his pinkie finger, coupled with a gold signet ring -- representative of his aristocratic family.
William's decision not to wear one is reportedly a matter of personal preference more so than adherence to any unspoken custom.
Welsh gold is obtained from the Clogau St. David’s Mine in Wales. The mine has since been declared “exhausted,” meaning it’s difficult to mine from any longer. This makes this unique Welsh gold incredibly rare and expensive.
The gold has been present in the wedding rings belonging to the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles, the late Princess Diana, Parker Bowles, and Middleton.
"It was always in the husband and wives’ rings. William was the first to break with that tradition going just for the wife," Clogau Managing Director Ben Roberts told ET in December. "[The royals] tend to go for a very deep 18-carat look, usually very plain."
As for Markle’s engagement ring, the stunning sparkler features two diamonds from Princess Diana's personal collection, in addition to a central diamond from Botswana, a favorite locale for the soon-to-be-married couple.
Check out the video below for more on the upcoming royal wedding.
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